4 ms·

When talking to PG and the other YC partners, be substantive, and get straight to the point. DO NOT BEAT AROUND THE BUSH. Do not hem and haw. "Uhm"s and "uh"s

When talking to PG and the other YC partners, be substantive, and get straight to the point. DO NOT BEAT AROUND THE BUSH. Do not hem and haw. "Uhm"s and "uh"s don't lend an aura of intelligence. Use precise and concise language. You aren't pitching a VC that will ask you what your "secret sauce" is. He talks quickly, and so do the other YC partners. Try to match their tempo (as you should when talking to anyone).

Gring 15y ago
> Try to match their tempo (as you should when talking to anyone). That's stupid advice. Why should I always match my tempo to somebody else? I'm not going to adapt to your talking speed for the same reason that you're probably not going to try to match mine. I'm not your monkey.
- RockyMcNuts 15y ago
  Because you want to persuade them? When you speak someone's language, using similar posture, vocabulary, style, and being attentive and tuned into them, they're more likely to react positively and buy what you're selling. http://lifehacker.com/5894462/use-mirroring-and-matching-to-build-a-good-rapport-and-become-more-persuasive http://lifehacker.com/5894462/use-mirroring-and-matching-to-...
- mindcrime 15y ago
  That's stupid advice. Why should I always match my tempo to somebody else? Because it's an important element of building rapport. And rapport is important if you want to get someone on "your side" in a discussion. for the same reason that you're probably not going to try to match mine But people usually do just that. It's a fairly well established thing, that people in a conversation usually eventually match each other's talking pace. And it generally feels awkward when you're talking to someone and that doesn't happen.
- sp332 15y ago
  The word "should" is ambiguous. Here it doesn't mean some kind of moral duty, but just that you'll generally have better results.
jamescun 15y ago
Added. Thanks.
- mceachen 15y ago
  No, thank you! This is an excellent idea, sir, and good luck!
CesareBorgia 15y ago
Does anybody else find it ironic that pg uses an abnormally high amount of filler words himself?
- mceachen 15y ago
  Not in person, and not during the YC dinners.
  - ntoshev 15y ago
    So these seem to be low stress situations for him, unlike public speaking. YC interviews are obviously high-stress for the founders though.
    - bgilroy26 15y ago
      Having a well thought through business plan is the main thing, the filler words are a secondary issue. Obviously someone with a solid business plan who speaks cautiously is in a much better position than a smooth talker who is selling vaporware. That's the value of the YC group, they have their priorities determined and they don't get taken for a ride.
- baddox 15y ago
  I find your claim odd, since I've always found his public speaking very competent.
  - elliottcarlson 15y ago
    I won't disagree that he is competent, but at the YC talk in New York, his public speaking was filled with filler sounds where it seemed he was nervous to talk in front of a large group of people (even if that was not the case).
    - austingulati 15y ago
      Not sure if you've already seen this, but he wrote about his thoughts on speaking and writing [1]. He does admit that he isn't the best public speaker but puts more value in content rather than presentation in these situations. [1] http://paulgraham.com/speak.html http://paulgraham.com/speak.html
EricDeb 15y ago
This sounds like MBA advice and is good, general business practice, however highly intelligent people capable of extraordinary things often do not act in accordance with these rules (likely because they are PHDs and not MBA students). I imagine this stuff is only on the surface and PG and others are able to evaluate the depth of a person and what they are truly capable of (or maybe not I've never met them).

Gring 15y ago

> Try to match their tempo (as you should when talking to anyone). That's stupid advice. Why should I always match my tempo to somebody else? I'm not going to adapt to your talking speed for the same reason that you're probably not going to try to match mine. I'm not your monkey.

RockyMcNuts 15y ago
Because you want to persuade them? When you speak someone's language, using similar posture, vocabulary, style, and being attentive and tuned into them, they're more likely to react positively and buy what you're selling. http://lifehacker.com/5894462/use-mirroring-and-matching-to-build-a-good-rapport-and-become-more-persuasive http://lifehacker.com/5894462/use-mirroring-and-matching-to-...
mindcrime 15y ago
That's stupid advice. Why should I always match my tempo to somebody else? Because it's an important element of building rapport. And rapport is important if you want to get someone on "your side" in a discussion. for the same reason that you're probably not going to try to match mine But people usually do just that. It's a fairly well established thing, that people in a conversation usually eventually match each other's talking pace. And it generally feels awkward when you're talking to someone and that doesn't happen.
sp332 15y ago
The word "should" is ambiguous. Here it doesn't mean some kind of moral duty, but just that you'll generally have better results.

jamescun 15y ago

Added. Thanks.

mceachen 15y ago
No, thank you! This is an excellent idea, sir, and good luck!

CesareBorgia 15y ago

Does anybody else find it ironic that pg uses an abnormally high amount of filler words himself?

mceachen 15y ago
Not in person, and not during the YC dinners.
- ntoshev 15y ago
  So these seem to be low stress situations for him, unlike public speaking. YC interviews are obviously high-stress for the founders though.
  - bgilroy26 15y ago
    Having a well thought through business plan is the main thing, the filler words are a secondary issue. Obviously someone with a solid business plan who speaks cautiously is in a much better position than a smooth talker who is selling vaporware. That's the value of the YC group, they have their priorities determined and they don't get taken for a ride.
baddox 15y ago
I find your claim odd, since I've always found his public speaking very competent.
- elliottcarlson 15y ago
  I won't disagree that he is competent, but at the YC talk in New York, his public speaking was filled with filler sounds where it seemed he was nervous to talk in front of a large group of people (even if that was not the case).
  - austingulati 15y ago
    Not sure if you've already seen this, but he wrote about his thoughts on speaking and writing [1]. He does admit that he isn't the best public speaker but puts more value in content rather than presentation in these situations. [1] http://paulgraham.com/speak.html http://paulgraham.com/speak.html

EricDeb 15y ago

This sounds like MBA advice and is good, general business practice, however highly intelligent people capable of extraordinary things often do not act in accordance with these rules (likely because they are PHDs and not MBA students). I imagine this stuff is only on the surface and PG and others are able to evaluate the depth of a person and what they are truly capable of (or maybe not I've never met them).